ccoyle

The tools needed to get started in card modeling are ridiculously few.  Basically, you need a cutting tool and some glue.  Everything else is optional.
 
Here's some basic tools:

 
You'll need a self-healing cutting mat, available from most office supply or crafts stores.  Next, you need something to cut with.  Notice the lack of scissors in the picture.  Most card modelers rarely use them.  Instead, your garden-variety craft knife will do the job nicely and with more precision.  Get a good supply of #11 blades -- card can be surprisingly hard on them.  A steel rule is a must, not just for measuring, but more importantly for cutting straight lines.
 
Glue is, of course, essential.  A variety of glues will do the job, and each has merits and drawbacks.  Good ol' PVA glue, either white (such as Elmer's) or yellow (wood glue -- hey, paper is wood, you know) are good general purpose glues with one proviso: it must be remembered that PVA glues are water-based, and card or paper will absorb the glue and deform.  Thus, PVA is not good for gluing large surfaces together.
 
Cyanoacrylate glue, or CA (commonly known as 'Super Glue', which is a brand name), has its uses in card modeling.  Fast-cure CA can be wicked into card stock to stiffen it, and medium-cure CA is useful for gluing parts made of different media together, as well as for paper-to-paper bonds.
 
Contact cement (not to be confused with rubber cement) is a non-water-based glue and thus good for gluing large surfaces together where severe warping would occur with a PVA glue.  Contact cement sets rapidly, so repositioning of parts once they come in contact with each other is iffy at best.
 
Modelers in Europe have access to UHU-brand glues that some modelers swear by.  I haven't come across any myself, so I haven't had a chance to try them out.  Polish modelers, who seem to be born with a master card modeler gene in their DNA, use something called 'butapren'; I'm not a chemist, so I'm not familiar with what exactly butapren glue is, and it doesn't seem to be easily available in the US, possibly because it is a favorite of glue sniffers.  Perhaps someone with knowledge of this substance can fill us in.
 
Now, on to some optional stuff that you'll probably want to have on hand:

 
From left to right we have:
     blackened, annealed wire - an assortment of diameters is useful for making gun barrels, railings, etc.      styrene rod - card can be rolled into tubes, but for tiny tubes, styrene is often a better choice      assorted paint brushes - for painting, but also for aids in rolling tubes      tweezers      paint, marking pens, or other media for coloring cut edges (more on this later)      calipers - for measuring card stock thickness, especially when laminating sheets together      hobby pliers (not pictured) - for cutting and forming wire (end nippers, needle nose, round nose)  
Some other useful items to have are thin, flexible, clear acetate sheets (for glazing windows), matte clear spray varnish (for prepping parts sheets), and 3M spray adhesive (for laminating card and/or paper sheets together).  3M costs more than other brands, but take my advice, it's worth the money.  Cheaper brands don't coat as evenly and produce clumpier spray patterns.  Trust me -- I learned this the hard way.
 
I'm sure there's some other stuff I forgot to list, but I'll add those if and when I remember them.  Now, go get your supplies, and we'll move on to the model!
 
Back to Part III: Shopping for Card Models     On to Part V: Building V108 - The Hull

And finally, a few dabs of touch-up paint here and there, and a careful separation of the model from its working base (sliding mono-filament line between the two does the trick neatly), and V108 is done, done, done!



 
I hope you have enjoyed reading this tutorial as much as I have enjoyed creating it.  I really, really hope that at least a few of you will be emboldened by this little treatise to step out and try a card model of your own.  Let's see what you can do!

Here are some pictures of the copper cleanup.
 
The first three provide a good idea of the original disaster: the second and third showing the difference after stripping the polyurethane with acetone.



 
The next four show the complete cleanup.




 
Having spent nearly 20 hours cleaning, I then reached for the spray can of poly - the stuff in the blue can.
One should read the label of course. Having given the (blue) can a good shake I proceeded to spray the copper matt black.  This was obviously not a good idea, and having said, "Oh, how unfortunate" (or words to that effect) I spent the next 2 hours taking the paint off with mineral turps. But fate had more in store. Having brought the finish back to its pristine cleanliness, I again tried the poly - this time, having read the label.  After making a couple of passes the can was empty, and to show its displeasure, sent, what I can best describe as a sploop of poly onto the copper surface.  Back to the acetone for which I have now probably acquired a sniffing addiction, then to what I hope is a final and successful spraying.
 



 







 
One positive came out of the black paint episode.  The cleaning left a tiny residual in the rivets which now shows them up very nicely.  However I do NOT recommend trying this at home.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Time to lay down some paint. I used water-based acrylics which I sprayed on. 
 
Starting off with a thin layer of white as a primer, the first coat will raise the grain of the wood, so a quick light sand is in order to knock down the "fuzz".
 
I then sprayed another coat of white, then masked off and layed down the red, then finally masked off for the black (while retaining the white stripe). Then at then end I masked off and painted the thin yellow stripe.
 
First coat of white:
 

 
 
 
 
Then all done (no in process shots, unfortunately)
 

 

 

 
 
 
More to come!
 
Thor

Build log part 8
 
 
 

template topview for boatdeck
 
 

checking Position of midship stairs down to Forward working deck
 

deckhouse stairs to boatstations
 

aftstair from boatdeck to working poopdeck
 

view backwards at this building stage
 

wooden planking of boatsdeck, here also the bearing Support-sleeves for taking up the Davits already mounted
 

 
 

 
 

main wheelhouse, Navigation room and officers duty station
 

freshwater storage tank with vent on top
 
 
 
Build log part 9 to follow....

As work is moving well on the construction of my Caroline build,preliminary work is now starting on my next'bill paying' project.This is based on the Euromodel kit,but it is my intention to push the boundaries of what can be achieved with a kit.I shall be using construction techniques for the hull that have been developed by myself,specifically for this build.The completed model shall include the following details;
1/hull planking in boxwood and ebony
2/hull planking omitted between the upper wales with false boxwood frames,this is a feature on quite a few Navy board models which I am quite fond of and an alternative from a fully framed build.
3/Full hull interior,lower gun deck upwards,with planking sections omitted on the upper decks for viewing the interior.
4/Remodelling of the stern to replicate the drawing by Van de Velde the Elder.
This project will be a 'slow burn' until Caroline is finished,but I am starting this log now to avoid missing anything as work progresses.I am trying to avoid starting another log with a planked hull  
Some photos to wet your appetite

The box,rather heavy,given it's size

Mordaunt by Van de Velde the elder
 
Kind Regards Nigel

A small but fun item accomplished. I made and installed the remaining cabinetry at the stern in the Great Cabin. This consisted of the rudder head housing and two benches. They were made from boxwood sheet and strip and finished with Wipe-on Poly. The "cushions" on the benches are boxwood, shaped and then painted a maroon color. The cabinet knobs are the smallest nails that I had on hand. The penny in the first photo gives an idea of the size of these pieces.
 
Bob

At the stern is a small hand winch.

 
The two sides (46a) get doubled.  After these parts are dry, cut out, and colored, glue the gear (46d) to the inside of one side panel, then use a small pin to make holes for the crank.  There's a template on the parts sheet for forming the crank (46e), which should be made from very fine wire - which I happened to not have on hand anywhere, so I used some less-than-ideal larger gauge wire.  Assemble the drum (46b and 46c); when that's done, attach the drum to one side of the winch.  Don't attach the second side until after the crank is inserted.

 
Thread the crank through one side, then the other, then glue the second side to the drum to complete the winch.

 
Glue the completed winch to the locator marks aft of the gun mount.  The side with the extra gear goes to starboard.

Next we have a series of small ventilators.  One in each pair of ventilators is actually a venturi vent.  Air passing through the tapered bore of the venturi created low pressure, which in turn drew air from inside the ship.  Thus air flowed into a normal cowl ventilator, through the interior, and back out a venturi - a clever means of cooling in the days before air conditioning.
 
The venturis (37) are easier to build, so start with those.

 
Each venturi is simply a conic section seated on top of a short tube.

 
The forward venturi goes on the starboard side, while the aft venturi mounts on the port side.

 
The cowl ventilators (38) introduce one of the banes of card modeling: petals (shudder!).  Petals are one way of tackling curved tubes or rounded cones (the other is consecutive slices, as was done with the large ventilator between the stacks).  The problem with petals is that they are, in my esteemed opinion, one of the most difficult card structures to form and glue properly.  Fortunately, the number and size of petals in this instance is small; any flaws in their construction will have a minimal visual impact.
 
Start by rolling the tube (38a) for each ventilator.

 
Then, gently bend over each petal.  You'll see that the petal tips will want to come together at a point.  Brush some white PVA onto the petals, being sure to get some into the seams.  Gently form the petals together with your fingers while the glue sets.
 
The cowl is made by gluing 38b into an oval to match the opening of 38a.  Glue the cowl to the tube, then work the seams, either with your fingers or a blunt tool, to get them sealed as well as possible.  I find it best with small cowls like these to paint the entire finished cowl.  Mount the cowls to the opposite side of their venturi partners.

 
Now, pat yourself on the back for having finished your first card petals!

Now we'll head to the stern, starting with the grating (part 47) that covers the steering gear.

 
You'll need to paint the visible portion of the deck beneath this part before gluing it down.  Apply the edging (47b) to the grating (47a).  Note that the aft edge of 47a gets no edging - that's where the tiller would pass through to the rudder.  A few bits of locator strips are helpful in getting this part positioned correctly.

 
I have no idea what parts 43 are - some kind of vents, or perhaps companionways.  Anyways, these are also fairly easily constructed.  Just remember to round the back (43a) part before gluing it to 43b. 

 
Attach the finished assemblies to the aft deck.

 
Between the aft stack and the large funnel are locator marks for a pair of hose reels, parts 53. 

 
It's a good idea when gluing the hose drum (53a) between the end plates (53b) to glue it so that the seam is on the bottom and out of sight.  Other than that, the only tricky part about the reels is being very careful with the delicate legs.  Be sure when you glue the two end panels to the drum that they are aligned properly, so that the reels will sit level on the superstructure.

At this point, most of the major structures are completed.  It's down now to finishing off miscellaneous small bits scattered around the ship.  I have some personal, general guidelines I follow (not necessarily to the letter) when I add these parts: 1) Work from the center superstructure towards either end, and 2) add shorter structures first, since tall structures are easily knocked off when working around them on the model.  This means the parts numbering sequence is out the window.  Of course, it has been for a while now, hasn't it?
 
We'll start at the forecastle.  Parts 54 are chocks.

 
These are easily built, though tedious to cut out, as are many of the parts to follow.  Color the back side of the chocks before cutting them out.  The horns are glued on the lines running down the middle of the base plates.

 
There are parts for eight chocks, but only six are needed, four on the forecastle and two at the stern.

 
There's also a two-tiered capstan on the forecastle, part 50.

 
Don't bother edge coloring the tiny bits for this assembly - just paint the entire part black once it's finished.  Part 50c gets cut into three strips.  Each strip gets glued into a ring.  The parts are then glued into a stack - two parts 50c onto 50a, capped by 50b and topped with another 50c plus 50d.  Looks like this:

 
After painting the capstan, glue it down to its spot on the forecastle deck.

 
Finally, there's a breakwater (49a) to add.  It glues down to the angled line that crosses the forecastle deck in front of the gun mount.  49b are the braces that go aft of the breakwater.  The larger braces are inboard and get progressively smaller as you work outboard.  To prevent these tiny parts from getting lost, cut the braces from their doubled parts sheet only as needed.

 
The finished breakwater looks like so:

 
We'll add the anchor hoist later due to its delicate nature.
 
Return to Part VII: Building V108 - Armament

Current part of build
 








 
Enjoy the pics and have a great time.
Best regards
Doris

Good work with the PE, but I thought you said it is a card model!

Hi All,
Since I won’t be ordering the replacement book and laser etch frames to start the hull again until the end of Feb/March I decided to work on the photo-etch 37mm twin cannons.  As mentioned above I had 2 sheets of photo-etch each making 5 guns giving a total of 10.
 
One gun assembly consists of 65 individual parts and since I am doing all 10 at once I will have eventually cut and glued 650 parts
 
Starting from the bottom up, parts 1 to 8 make up the mounting pedestal, the base plate and the main body.  All 10 assemblies  cut out and cleaned up.

 
 
Close up of the components for starting 1 gun.  The etch on the base plate is quite impressive considering its size.  It shows a perimeter rail and checker plate pattern.

 
 
The pedestal is made up of a circular base, a flat strip and a couple of flanges.  It took a bit of head scratching where the bolted flanges were supposed to go but a quick look in the AOTS made it obvious.  The two flanges were glued together then the flat strip was bent round a drill shank and placed inside the flanges.  The strip has a groove down the middle which the inside edge of the flange sits in.  Then it’s a case of gluing the circular base to the bottom of the strip.

 
 
All the pedestals completed.  I filled some of the internal cup with 2 part epoxy as the CA didn’t like holding the circular base to the edge of the strip.

 
 
The main body which sits on the base plate is bent from a single panel into a rectangle and the top and bottom is closed off with little end caps.

 
 
All the bodies bent and the end caps glued in.  Again I used epoxy to secure the end caps.  Using epoxy is slowing the build as usually have to wait several hours or the next day before can clean it up.  CA although quick isn’t suitable for parts where I need to clean up with files etc.  Once the end caps were on a good filing cleaned up any sticking out edges and flushed everything down nicely.

 
 
The front panel is a single plate which needs the sides bent to sit on to the main body.  I actually lost one of these panels.  I have no idea where it went.  I thought to only make 9 guns and get another sheet when I order more stuff to finish the 10th but decided to see if I could make one.
 
The only photo-etch sheets which had a large enough panel to cut out a replacement was on the railings sheet.  4 attempts later I made a new front panel which is average at best but once all the other parts are on shouldn’t be noticeable. 

 
 
The main body of the gun has a large bulge on both sides, which according to the AOTS are hinged, so imagine they contain some of the gun training mechanisms.  Here is 80 parts all cut out which is needed to do 2 bulges for each of the 10 cannon assemblies.  A perimeter strip, a bulge panel and a top and bottom cap makes on side.

 
 
I thought the perimeter strip would be the most difficult part to do on the guns due to the size and shape but turned out relatively straight forward.  The main body has the shape etched in to it to show its position.

 
 
Here are 10 bodies with the end caps on, the front panel attached and the one side of the bulge perimeter strip fitted.  They look quite messy but that is epoxy and brass dust from filing the complete assembly prior to fitting the perimeter strip.

 
 
Next up is to fix the other side perimeter strip and then finish the bulges.  Once that’s done I will attach the pedestal and main body to the base plate and then the really fiddly parts start with the seating and gun training wheels etc.
 
Cheers
Slog

That's dedication to craftsmanship, Mark.  Good luck on the Mk II!

And finally, a few dabs of touch-up paint here and there, and a careful separation of the model from its working base (sliding mono-filament line between the two does the trick neatly), and V108 is done, done, done!



 
I hope you have enjoyed reading this tutorial as much as I have enjoyed creating it.  I really, really hope that at least a few of you will be emboldened by this little treatise to step out and try a card model of your own.  Let's see what you can do!

So, how do our thread railings look on the model?  Judge for yourself:

 
Adding the railings consists of measuring off the right length of railing to add, adding any extra stanchions that might be needed due to cutting to length, and gluing the railings to the model.  I use PVA for straight sections and CA where necessary to tack down any sharp curves.  I brush the PVA onto the deck where the railing goes, not to the railing itself - these springy railings are a great way to spread unwanted glue on your model.
 
Here's the finished forecastle railings:


 
The forward flagstaff is a short length of wire.
 
Anywhere there are angled bends in the railings, I prefer to cut the railing at the joint and glue down two separate panels.  Unlike photo-etched metal or card, thread does not like to make nice, crisp bends.

Chris Watton designed both kits, so both of them will have similar design concepts.  However, Chris being the innovator he is, he has regularly made improvements to his designs with each new issue, and that will be reflected in the Vanguard kit, since it is by far the newer of the two.  I have the Amati/Victory Models Fly kit in progress and can tell you honestly it is a great kit.  But like any kit, it has compromises and can be improved upon by any modeller wishing to do a little extra research and work.  Same is most likely true for Vanguard.  I have also built a Caldercraft kit, and it was a great kit, too.  So, bottom line is both are good kits, but both can be taken up a notch, especially since you say you have experience scratching parts.  The deciding factor may well be how much model do you want to commit to?  One is a frigate, the other is a ship of the line with all that entails.  Either of them will be a long-term project, so I'd go with whichever one set my heart to beating just that much faster.
 
Cheers!

Chris Watton designed both kits, so both of them will have similar design concepts.  However, Chris being the innovator he is, he has regularly made improvements to his designs with each new issue, and that will be reflected in the Vanguard kit, since it is by far the newer of the two.  I have the Amati/Victory Models Fly kit in progress and can tell you honestly it is a great kit.  But like any kit, it has compromises and can be improved upon by any modeller wishing to do a little extra research and work.  Same is most likely true for Vanguard.  I have also built a Caldercraft kit, and it was a great kit, too.  So, bottom line is both are good kits, but both can be taken up a notch, especially since you say you have experience scratching parts.  The deciding factor may well be how much model do you want to commit to?  One is a frigate, the other is a ship of the line with all that entails.  Either of them will be a long-term project, so I'd go with whichever one set my heart to beating just that much faster.
 
Cheers!

Chris Watton designed both kits, so both of them will have similar design concepts.  However, Chris being the innovator he is, he has regularly made improvements to his designs with each new issue, and that will be reflected in the Vanguard kit, since it is by far the newer of the two.  I have the Amati/Victory Models Fly kit in progress and can tell you honestly it is a great kit.  But like any kit, it has compromises and can be improved upon by any modeller wishing to do a little extra research and work.  Same is most likely true for Vanguard.  I have also built a Caldercraft kit, and it was a great kit, too.  So, bottom line is both are good kits, but both can be taken up a notch, especially since you say you have experience scratching parts.  The deciding factor may well be how much model do you want to commit to?  One is a frigate, the other is a ship of the line with all that entails.  Either of them will be a long-term project, so I'd go with whichever one set my heart to beating just that much faster.
 
Cheers!

Darr,
 
Nature Coast Hobby Shop also sells this sort of kit/tool combo.  Personally, I would be cautious about buying something like this, as the tools included might or might not be something your dad would find useful, and for the prices listed you can probably buy a kit and some basic tools for less.  If your dad has not modeled anything in a while, I'd recommend one of the kits from Midwest Products to get old skills back up to speed.  These kits are inexpensive (and can usually be found on eBay for significantly less than retail), have good instructions, and always include a thorough list of needed tools, some of which are likely already in your dad's house somewhere.
 
Kind regards,

Darr,
 
Nature Coast Hobby Shop also sells this sort of kit/tool combo.  Personally, I would be cautious about buying something like this, as the tools included might or might not be something your dad would find useful, and for the prices listed you can probably buy a kit and some basic tools for less.  If your dad has not modeled anything in a while, I'd recommend one of the kits from Midwest Products to get old skills back up to speed.  These kits are inexpensive (and can usually be found on eBay for significantly less than retail), have good instructions, and always include a thorough list of needed tools, some of which are likely already in your dad's house somewhere.
 
Kind regards,

Maybe someone is interested in a few old photos taken by my great grandfather. All of them are taken around 1880-1900
 
Can not add them in the running text since there seems to be some problems with Windows 8.1 / IE11 on this site.
 
1 Erato - owned by my great grandfather and used for pleasure and also in his business - he exported wooden bobins for spinning machines used in the British textile industry.
 
2 Erato in Travemûnde
 
3 4 5 Marstrand harbour on the Swedish west coast. Marstrand is known for being icefree almost any winter and also because king Oscar II used to spend part of the summer there. The Swedish gentry used to follow behind.
 
6 Marstrand  - I think it is the Royal Yacht that you can see in the background
 
Got a couple of pictures outside of these  - e.g. ships crew - if anyone is interested
 
Shamrock

Dan,
 
I can tell from just a few photos that you've already taken this wreck up quite a few notches.  Cudos to you for sticking with your commitment.
 
At the risk of seeming uncaring (which I have the feeling you are NOT), I would probably be thinking of balancing my efforts with your friends' expectations--in other words, what seems only mediocre to you, might be fabulous to them.  But knowing your standards, I bet it's very difficult to do a sub-par (to you) job. 
 
Wishing you a good and speedy outcome,
Ron

I think the fact that I keep wondering, "How did she do that?" when I see your work speaks volumes about your abilities.  Very impressive!
 
Cheers!